Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the process for treating a catalytic reactor.
Related Art
The productivity of the plant is essentially determined by the optimization of the design thereof and of the operating costs.
As a general rule, in chemical units assisted by catalytic processes, the operation of the reactors is a key point. Indeed, many plant incidents are caused by the reactors and the catalysts.
The catalytic materials may greatly suffer from the variation of certain parameters. By way of example, the increase in the temperature may lead to sintering of catalytic sites and their supports. Similarly, a modification of the composition of the gas stream may lead to the presence of “poisonous elements” that may themselves lead to a deactivation of the catalyst.
When the catalysts do not carry out their role, incidents occur and lead generally to operating problems of the plant and irremediably the plant must be shut down for maintenance.
The replacement of a catalyst represents a cost that corresponds on the one hand to the price of the catalyst itself and on the other hand to the sanctions applied by the ultimate customer, who does not receive the products required for their own application during the unforeseen replacement phase.
In certain cases, it is possible to evaluate what fraction of the catalyst must be replaced. Indicators such as temperature measurements may reflect the portion of the catalyst bed which is no longer active. In this case, the replacement of the catalyst may be optimized and it is possible to carry out the skimming and replacement of a portion of the catalyst bed.
However, the skimming must be carried out carefully in order to:                avoid any problem such as the deterioration of the portion of the catalyst bed which is retained by violent oxidation in contact with the air and/or moisture capable of penetrating after the reactor is opened, and in order to        enable the operators to work in complete safety. Indeed, the operators may potentially be confronted with a sudden heating after opening the catalytic reactor due to oxidation with the air.        
Starting from this, one problem that is faced is to provide an improved process for treating a catalytic reactor.